Selena's POV:

My first reaction was to bring my hands to cup my mouth. It was so wide open that I thought my jaws were gonna get dislocated. "You're," I took my time to process the information in my brain since it wasn't working properly from the drugs. "pregnant?" Kelsey gave me the "duh" look while Sam just nodded, biting her lower lip. "Oh my God." I said quickly, my hands dropping to my sides as I kept staring in shock. It wasn't until I felt Kelsey's elbow nudging my ribs that I snapped out of it and got a grip. "What are you gonna do?" My voice was serious but sympathetic as one of my hands reached to rub Sam's arm comfortingly. "I don't know." She shook her head, tears forming in her eyes. She looked so lost, so desperate and regretful. She glanced between Kelsey and I, hoping to find some reassurance that everything was gonna be okay or, at least, some help. "Does Mike know? Because it's Mike's, right?" I quickly added the last part. The last thing we needed was for the father of the baby to be someone else. "Of course it is." Sam hastily replied. "But... he doesn't know." She continued in a lower voice, her big eyes looking down at the sandy ground. "Why haven't you told him?" Kelsey urged, the sympathy in her voice being replaced by bewilderment. "It's not easy, okay?" Sam rebated, wiping a tear that had managed to fall down her cheek before it reached her chin. Immediately, Kelsey and I had our arms wrapped around her shaking body. "Shhh, it's gonna be alright." We both whispered soothing words, exchanging glances of disbelief now and then. Just the thought of having a baby at this age – even though Sam was already 18, a year older than me – made my skin crawl in fright. When we pulled away, Kelsey wiped the remaining tears under Sam's eyes with her thumbs as she sniffed softly. "You really need to tell him, though. He deserves to know, honey." "I know, it's just... I don't know how he's gonna take it and I don't wanna be left alone with a baby I can't take care of just by myself." She explained, her hands unconsciously moving down to her belly. "Mike is not that kind of guy. You can see in his eyes that he loves you unconditionally." I assured her, giving her a warm smile. She blushed slightly at my answer then sighed. "But we've basically been fighting for the past two weeks, how am I gonna tell him this now?" "Wait, you were having problems because of this? This is what you didn't want to tell me at the party?" Realisation suddenly kicked me. "Well, yeah." She bit her lip again. "He insisted that there was something bugging me and I kept telling him it was nothing but he knew I was lying and got mad saying I don't trust him." She rolled her eyes. "But put in his place. He's aware that something's wrong with his girlfriend but she won't tell him anything. He probably feels like you don't love him or something." Kelsey said as sweetly as possible while getting the point across. Sam seemed to consider it, changing her weight from one foot to another. "You're right." She finally admitted to herself. "I'll go talk to him." Although she looked determined, we knew she was a nervous wreck inside so both Kelsey and I sent her encouraging looks. Then, before we left, I remembered I had forgotten to ask her something. "How long have you been...?" I moved my fingers in a circular motion, making sure she knew what I was talking about. "About a month now, but I found out like over two weeks ago." She explained, rubbing her stomach before she cracked a smile. "It's not noticeable yet but I do feel something inside my stomach." A grin made its way across our faces when we saw that she actually wanted to keep the baby, even if it had been a surprise. "Don't tell anyone, yeah?" We nodded. "Of course. Good luck." Side hugging her, we parted towards our respective boyfriends. "Thank you, girls." As soon as we were alone, Kelsey yanked my arm for the second time that day and made me look to our left. "Look at that!" Tyler and Alejandra were sucking faces against the basketball court fence, at an angle in which Justin could perfectly see them. I scoffed. "She's such a slut." "I know right? Going to that douche because Justin dumped her and actually thinking she's gonna make him jealous." Kelsey agreed, tearing her eyes away from the disturbing image. "She's a pathetic excuse for a woman." Nodding, I averted my eyes away to Justin, who was actually staring at me instead of them. "Where did you disappear?" Justin asked as soon as we reached the group again. He was smoking a normal cigarette this time, making me roll my eyes. Considering I was out of my high thanks to the brand news from Sameera, my anti-tobacco mode was on again. "I was talking with Kelsey and Sam." I shrugged, sending daggers at the cylinder that hung from his lips like it was an animated object that actually could see me glaring. "What was so important that you had to leave in the middle of something?" He inquired, narrowing his eyes at me as he exhaled the smoke in the other direction so I didn't have to smell it. "Girls stuff." I shrugged yet again, making Justin groan. It's not my fault I couldn't tell him. "And I didn't leave, Kelsey dragged me away." "Okay." He finally sighed, giving up. I took a seat next to him on the back of the bench, staring out at the strange couple that kept making out – like they didn't know what else to do together – and grimaced. When I felt a hand on my thigh, I looked up at Justin. "What?" An amused little smile etched across my lips upon sensing his weird attitude. "Alejandra is just trying –" I cut him off. "I know and I honestly could care less. " He smirked at my attitude. "So how was your first time smoking?" He asked, rubbing circles on the denim cloth covering my leg. I put the thought of how distracting that was to the side in order to answer him. "It was strange but I guess I had fun, it made me laugh without wanting to." I giggled, leaning my head to the side to rest it on his shoulder. I saw the butt of the cigarette falling to the ground as he stomped his foot on it. His arm wrapped around my body, hugging me closer. "I'm glad you had fun because it was your last time doing it." He stated totally serious. Tilting my head to the side so I could look up at him, I cocked an eyebrow. "Excuse me?" "You heard me." He kept looking ahead, not daring to meet my quizzical gaze. "You cannot control my life, you know that, right?" I pointed, taking his chin between my fingers and forcing him to look down at me. "Just looking out for you." He sang sweetly, giving me his award-winning smile as if that was gonna win me over. A laugh escaped my slightly chapped lips. "I don't think I would smoke again either way. I just wanted to live the experience once but it's not really my thing." I decided, earning a satisfied grin from Justin. Turning a bit to the side in my seat, I poked his chest. "However, I do think you should stop. I mean, if you have the power of making decisions for me, I'll do the same." "But you're omitting an important fact here: you're underage and I'm already legal, so it makes sense my way." "I'm just looking out for you." I mimicked his voice, earning a laugh from him. "You don't need to. I can take care of myself." He assured, taking my cold hand in his and interlocking our fingers, immediately giving me some warmth and making me forget about the crispy air and polar temperature. "Sure you can." I mocked but was silenced with a kiss. Justin's lips never failed to sweep me off my feet, no matter how ready for a kiss I was – which wasn't the case. The way they moved against my own, so perfectly and smoothly, like they were made for each other and the butterflies that erupted in my stomach at the feeling – as corny as it sounds – were something I could never get tired of. When we pulled apart, I was smiling like a fool. Justin caressed my cheek with his free hand and leaned down for another quick peck. "As much as I'd love for you to stay, you should get going. I'm sure your family is worried sick about you." Those were the words I didn't want to hear, the words that brought me from cloud nine to reality. My right-now hard reality. Sighing, I got up from the bench. I knew he was right. I was afraid of even checking my phone in fear of how many missed calls I would have but it's not like I could stay away from home any longer. It would only make matters worse. "I suppose." "C'mon, I'll walk you to your car." Justin stood up too and offered me his hand, which I gladly took, before we said our goodbyes to everyone. "You coming, Kelsey?" I asked, glancing at her being silly with Tyson. "I'm gonna stay a little longer. I'll see you tomorrow at school." She blew me a kiss. "Aha, bye, love." I blew it back before I caught Alejandra staring at Justin and I with pure jealousy from the corner of my eye. Sending her a fake tight-lipped smile, I began walking with Justin. For the first minute, neither him nor I spoke, too absorbed in our own thoughts. I was counting down the ways my parents could kill me while he had this concentrated face on like he was thinking really hard about something. "What are you thinking about?" "Nothing, just... never mind." He shook his head, making me frown. Something was obviously wrong but I knew how stubborn he was so, if he didn't want to, he wasn't gonna tell me. "Okay?" He didn't change his expression, leaving me really curious. "Do you think your parents will ground you?" He changed the subject. I snorted. "Ground me? At least for a year. I'm dreading the "talk" moment." I admitted as we reached the spot where I had parked my Audi. "I'm so screwed." "I'm sorry, it kind of was my fault." Justin scratched his head, looking down and licking his lips. "What? I was the one that suggested ditching school." I wrinkled my forehead at him taking the blame. "And also the one walking out on them so I'll just accept whatever the punishment is." Sighing again, I leaned against the door of my car, Justin positioning himself in front of me. "You will still sneak out, right?" He asked with hope. "Otherwise I'm gonna miss you." He nuzzled his face in the crook of my neck sheepishly, as if it embarrassed him being so cute. Laughing lightly, I brushed his hair with my fingers. "Will you let me do different?" "Nope." He mumbled against my neck, where I could feel his smile. "Good luck with your parents and try to conserve your phone so at least you can call me afterwards." He said, pulling away and looking down at me. "I'll try my best." "I..." He hesitated. "I'll talk to you later." Leaning down, still behaving strangely, he pecked my lips. Sneaking my arms around his neck, I brought our lips back together. "In case I can't see you in a long time." I whispered against his mouth before kissing him properly. Justin didn't oppose as his hands found the back pockets of my jeans. After a few seconds, we pulled away and Justin took a step back so I could get in the car. Once I was inside, I fastened my seatbelt and waved goodbye at him with a smile before driving off. A headache was starting to press on my temples as I waited for the elevator to arrive at the 11th floor. Side effects of weed kicking in. Just great. The silence in the corridor only made it harder for me to enter the house unnoticed. The mere sound of my keys jiggling could be heard from the other side of the city. As I had predicted, as soon as I opened the door, my mom attacked me in a bear hug, almost choking the life out of me. "Oh my God, Selena. Thank God you're okay." I didn't dare say anything. I was expecting something more along the lines of a slap but I obviously won't complain. "You nearly gave me a heart attack. Do you even have an idea of how incredibly worried I was?" Her pained expression when her glossy eyes glanced at me, made my stomach churn unpleasantly and feel very bad about leaving my parents like that. "I'm sorry." I merely whispered, frozen in the spot. "You'd better be, young woman. You're in deep trouble for this, sorry or not." She shakily pointed her index finger at me but the expression of relief that I was fine remained on her face, almost making it seem like she would forget about my punishment and even make my favourite food for dinner. However, the next thing she said made it clear that I was gonna regret ever disobeying them. "I'm gonna call your father and when he comes, you and us are going to have a serious talk. You're not getting away with this, missy." She warned, dismissing me to my room so I could have a shower and change before the official declaration of my social death. Justin "What's wrong, man? You seem out of it." Tyson snapped his fingers in front of my face, bringing me back to reality. "Hmm?" I blinked and looked at him, my hands buried in my jeans pockets. "See, you weren't even listening to me." He whined, folding his arms on his chest. "Sorry, bro. I was just... thinking." I shrugged. "Bout?" "Have you told Kelsey, you know, that you love her?" I decided if there was someone I could ask for advice when it came to girls, it was Tyson – and my mom, but that would be embarrassing. "Yes, why?" He furrowed his eyebrows like he didn't know where I was coming from. "How did you do it?" I asked awkwardly, actually feeling my face heating up in embarrassment. "I don't know, Justin." He eyed me even more confused. "I just told her and oh, wait," A smirk started tugging at his lips. "You love Selena." His eyes nearly popped out of their sockets when it all made sense to him. "Hush up." I hit his head so he would lower his voice before quickly adding. "I don't know." "Of course you do. Woooo, Justin is in love." He cheered, bringing a hand around his mouth to make his voice echo. "I swear if you don't shut up now, I'm gonna chop your dick you fag." I threatened, even more embarrassed than before. I didn't need my whole group of friends to know I was absolutely whipped. "Dude, I'm just happy for you!" He clapped my back. "You've finally found a girl worth of your love." He cooed, making stupid girly faces. I couldn't help but chuckle. "Just stop and help me. How do I tell her?" "You just have to find the right moment, some romantic speech and boom. Drop the L bomb." When you've known Tyson your whole life, you get used to his weird gestures and faces he always makes to accompany his words. "It can't be that easy." I shook my head. "Plus, I'm not good with "romantic speeches"." I quoted him, grimacing at the thought of having to actually be corny and shit. "What's your fear, that she won't say it back?" He asked like it was the dumbest idea ever. "She might not." I offered, a little saddened by the thought. I couldn't stop thinking about what she had told me before: "Kelsey thinks I love you." Nevertheless, she had not answered when I asked her if she did – thanks to Kelsey herself – so I was left confused again. "What fucking planet do you live in, man? She's so head over heels for you that she might as well wear a neon sign with it printed on her forehead." He snorted, giving me the you-actually-are-stupid look. "I bet she's just waiting for you to say it first because you're the one that doesn't believe in love, remember?" I nodded, considering what he said. Tyson had been in love before so he knew more than me, that's for sure. I should listen to his advice, shouldn't I? "I'm proud of you, Justin." He used a motherly tone and patted my head, knowing he was annoying me to no extent. Rolling my eyes, I smacked his arm before walking away. "I'm leaving, bye, dickhead!" I shouted at him. "Sure, go to your lovebird, Jay!" He yelled back, squealing girlishly at the 'Jay' part. I walked over to where my sister and her friends were, laughing and being 15-year-olds. "Jazmyn, I'm going home. You coming?" Looking up at the sky, she too realised it was getting dark. "Can I stay just a little longer?" She gave me the puppy face, knowing I couldn't resist it. "Fine, but only ten more minutes." Ending the conversation when she nodded, I just jogged the rest of the way home. Once I was there, the first thing I did was check my money. Lifting the mattress of my bed, I counted the bills and coins I had there. 213 dollars and 50 pennies. I still owed Sel the money of the bail and new house bills would be coming soon, meaning my mom would probably need help to pay them since she went grocery shopping a couple days ago. Letting out a deep breath, I stuffed the money back in place and waltzed over to my closet. I took a pair of navy blue sweatpants and a red t-shirt and trudged to the bathroom. I hadn't realised till now how tired I really was.

Stripping off my dirty clothes, I got in the shower and washed my body and hair. After standing under the relaxing water for a minute, I closed the tap – we have to save water – and stepped out. Drying my body with a towel, I sprayed on some Axe and dressed in the clothes I had picked before. Leaving my hair to fall damp over my forehead, too lazy to blow-dry it, I called my mom. "Ma, I'm hungry!" "She isn't home yet, Justin, so you'll have to make yourself something." Jazzy informed, dropping her house keys in the hall table and getting rid of her shoes as she had just entered the front door. "Is Jaxon with her?" I mentally groaned at the perspective of having to cook. "Yeah, they had an appointment with the pediatrician." She replied, getting a water bottle from the fridge for herself. "Well, you could make something for dinner." I suggested, leaning against the kitchen's door frame. Yes, I'm asking my little sister to cook for me. She gave me a quizzical look. "You've got a nerve! I'm not making you food. You're 19, you should be able to at least fry an egg." She scowled, brushing past me and snickering at my lack of cooking skills. "You're mean!" I yelled behind her, deciding I would have to set with my classical sandwich. I'm not too sure about how the stove works anyway. Getting the ingredients from the refrigerator, I used a knife to lay a coat of mayonnaise on one of the bread slices and put a slice of ham, followed by one of cheese on top. After stuffing some tomato and lettuce too, I closed my dinner and sat down to eat it. "Wow, you made yourself a sandwich. I'm impressed." Jazmyn mocked me, feigning a proud face. "Ha ha." She chuckled, getting a pot out of one of the kitchen drawers to make something for herself. I scoffed. "And you call yourself my sister." Shrugging innocently, she started getting the necessary ingredients for what she was gonna prepare. "I'm just gonna make some mac and cheese for mom, Jaxon and me." I gaped. "You know I love mac and cheese." I whined childishly. I didn't care if I sounded like a three-year-old right now, I wanted mac and cheese too. "I'm doing this for you, Justin. You can't keep gaining weight, you're getting fat." She pointed a wooden spoon at my tummy, trying to hold her laugh in. "I am not!" I exclaimed, looking down at my stomach to check I wasn't. My abs were still poking against the cloth of the t-shirt. I'm still fucking hot. "You think so? Is that a spare tire I see there?" She fake gasped, making me roll my eyes in irritation. "I have the best six pack in New York City, ask Selena." I smirked, remembering how she drooled every-time she saw me shirtless. Not that I blame her, I know I'm irresistible. "Ew, no, thanks. Too much information." She made a disgusted face, making me laugh before attacking the last bite of my sandwich. "By the way," She suddenly spun around, the sound of boiling water behind her. "why the hell didn't you tell me, your sister, that you love her?" She squealed, eyeing me accusingly and excitedly at the same time. "I don't know what you are talking about." I mumbled with my mouth full. "Oh, please. Tyson told me, but it was so obvious anyway." She waved her hand, turning back to the delicious macaroni I wouldn't be eating. "Can that man ever shut up?" I groaned to myself, feeling my cheeks heat up once again. "It's so cute, seriously." Jazzy kept rambling, oblivious to my annoyance. "You guys look adorable together and it's so blatantly obvious that you love each other. You're such a pussy for not telling her." She shook her head, still giving her back to me. Taking a long sip from a can of beer I had previously opened, I retorted. "Sorry to break it to you, but you know nothing about love, Jazmyn." "And you do?" She turned her head just to raise her eyebrows at me, both offended and questioningly. "Whatever." Considering the conversation finished, I changed the topic. "So you and Astry are good?" "Sure, she was kind of jealous when we saw Selena and I told her she was your girlfriend but she'll get over the crush she has on you eventually." She giggled. Her best friend was a little bit creepy if I'm honest. Every-time she was at home, she would look at me in a flirty way, making me freak out. I'm not into a 15-year-old obsessed girls (plus she looks like a horse). "Glad to hear you two are on good terms again." I smiled. "I mean, a stupid fight can't end up with a 10-years-long friendship." Jazmyn poured the boiled pasta in another bowl, straining the water, before sending me a confused look. "What are you talking about?" "Your fight with Astry." My statement came out more as a question since Jazmyn's face was still of complete and utter confusion. "Justin, you must have dreamed that because Astry and I haven't had a fight in years." She stated, looking at me warily. "But," It was my turn to be confused. "Selena said that the day you came home crying, on Jaxon's birthday, it was because you had had an argument with your best friend." My eyebrows knitted together to the point that they surely looked like one. "And Astry is your best friend, isn't her?" Jazzy's expression went from surprised to one of a deer caught in headlights in a second, instantly making me believe something was up. When she saw in my eyes I was beginning to put two and two together, she aimed to walk away. "Unless that's not really what happened." Reaching my arm out, I stopped her from fleeing and tugged her down to seat next to me. "N-no, that's actually what happened. I had just forgotten it. It was a silly thing." She laughed it off, thinking I couldn't see past her act. "Don't lie to me, Jazmyn." I warned, feeling my veins starting to pop out like they always do when I become angry. "I'm not lying, I—" She was cut off by my stern demand. "I'm only gonna ask you once, what did actually happen?" "See? This is why I didn't want to tell you the truth from the beginning!" She shrieked, throwing her arms in the air. "You get winded up over nothing!" "Nothing? There must be a good reason why you and my girlfriend have become allies against me." I remarked, narrowing my eyes at her. She gulped guiltily. "I just have to be careful with what I say to you because we all know how short-tempered you are." She rolled her light brown eyes. "And don't get Selena into this, she just lied to you because I asked her to." "Maybe I have my reasons to be that way. And Selena is as guilty for this as you." I muttered through gritted teeth, my fists clenching and unclenching to calm me down. "Of course you have." She snorted. "Violence is always the way for you." "Whatever." I huffed. "Just tell me the truth. Now." I demanded, looking at her straight in the eyes. Her gaze shifted away uncomfortably – my eyes can be very scrutinising – and she shuffled in her seat. "Just promise me you won't do anything reckless before." She mumbled. "You're in no place to give conditions, Jazmyn." I said getting impatient, my foot nervously tapping on the floor. "Fine." She sighed, running a hand through her hair. "It was Colton." She admitted. "I knew it! I fucking knew it!" The words rolled off my mouth in a rush. I was right when I predicted that boy would break her heart. I knew he was trouble from the beginning. Standing up from the table and slamming my fists on it, I urged her to tell me more. "What did he do? I swear I'm gonna punch that douche bag until there's not a fucking living cell in his body." I started pacing around the room, glancing at Jazzy intently. "He... he cheated on me." She whispered, her voice breaking as tears welled up in her eyes. "Shit, don't cry." I crouched down to hug her now shaking body. "I-I didn't want you to know because I knew that you would go after him." She stammered between sobs, while my hands stroked her back soothingly. "Of course I will go after that prick. No one messes with my sister and gets away with it." I stated, pulling away to look her in the eyes. "I don't want you to do anything, Justin." She muttered. "Please." "But, Jazzy—" "I already took care of it. I can look after myself." She assured, standing up and wiping her tear-stained cheeks with the ends of her sleeves. "Alright." I exhaled deeply. I wouldn't do anything. For now. "Thank you." She gave me a small hug and I kissed the top of her head. "I still have to take care of something, though." I pulled apart, storming out of the kitchen and to the hall, where I put on my jacket and white Supras. "Where are you going?" Jazmyn followed me, grasping my arm as if to stop me. "Don't worry, okay? I just need to talk to someone." I shook her arm off, zipping my jacket up. I would probably freeze in only this but I didn't have time for dressing properly. "Oh, no. Please, don't get mad at Sel for this. It wasn't her fault at all." She pleaded, trying to get a grip of my arm again. "Don't get into this too, will you?" I said somewhat harshly, making her flinch. "I have to go." I murmured distractedly, aiming for the door. However, it was opened from outside before I could take a hold of the knob. "I can't believe how incredibly slow hospitals are." I heard my mom talking to herself. "Guys, we're here." She announced, carrying Jaxon in her arms, but was taken aback when she saw us already there and I ready to leave. "Hey, ma. I have to go. I'll be back later." I said quickly, not giving her time to reply as I sprinted out the door and down the stairs, taking two at a time. Getting into my car – whose tank I had finally got around to fill – I started the engine. Driving as fast as I could without running someone over, I cursed the traffic for being so damn slow at 9.30 pm. Whenever I was pissed off, I needed to let it out by driving fast and recklessly but, of course, the whole city had to be against me and engulf me in a line of honking cars. When I finally made it to Manhattan – and specifically to Selena's street – I had been in the car for nearly 50 minutes. Slamming the door shut once I stepped out, I pulled my phone out of my pocket and dialled her number. Waiting impatiently for her to pick it up, I almost thought her parents had confiscated it from her when I finally heard her voice. "Justin?" A mixture of surprise and grogginess laced in her words and I knew she wasn't gonna like what I was here to tell her. At least, not all of it. "Selena, get down here. Now." Selena I might or might not have purposely taken longer than usual to shower and dress before getting out of my room and going to talk with my parents. Fumbling with the hem of my light blue long-sleeved t-shirt, I dragged my sock-covered feet across the dark wooden floor of the corridor. My stomach was on my throat, nauseas rising even if I hadn't eaten in hours. The end of my cream and blue flower-patterned pyjama pants touched the floor with every step I took. I could already hear my parent's voices in the living room, discussing what my torture for the next – at least 20 years of my life – would be. When I finally appeared at the threshold, their eyes shot to me, pure rage in my father's. "Sit down." He ordered. He was always such a nice, fun man that it was absolutely terrifying to see him like this. Obeying him, I took a seat on the love couch in front of the sofa they were both occupying. "I think you owe us an explanation." I licked my lips, thinking about what exactly I could say. "I'm sorry." I repeated the same words I had said to my mom before. "That won't change anything." My father declared, clutching his hands together in front of him. "I know but I'm aware that I acted wrong and I just wanted to apologise." Under their intense stares, I did realise I had just performed a rebellious, totally inappropriate and very un-me act. I actually felt ashamed but, at the same time, I couldn't bring myself to regret it because I had enjoyed myself (if we skip the headache part). "That's noble of you to say but I hope you still know that there will be consequences." My father continued. My mom was glued to her seat but her lips were sealed shut, like they had agreed my dad would do the talking. "I am." I nodded, playing with my fingers in my lap. After sighing, my father looked up at me again. "I know it was very edgy of me to forbid you to see your boyfriend, but I was very affected by the news that you had skipped school at the moment. However, that doesn't mean I approve of this boy. I won't until I meet him." A gulp formed in my throat at the perspective of my parents meeting Justin. Surely it couldn't end up well with my dad being a cop. What if he had access to Justin's expedient? Our relationship would be history in the blink of an eye. "I-I can tell him that you would like to meet him." I stuttered, tucking the bangs that had fallen out of my ponytail behind my ears. "Do tell him." He agreed, untangling his hands. "Now onto your punishment." No, please. "Your mother and I have agreed that you will be grounded for three weeks for missing school, talking back to us and disappearing without answering our calls. You will only be allowed out of the house for school or family related things so I suggest you let your boyfriend know that." When I thought he had finally finished cutting off my social life, he added more to the list. "We will also take your laptop, your credit card and your phone. And you'll only use your car for going to school or picking Tommy from soccer practice. No, actually, I'll drive you to school when possible." As bad as I wanted to scream "what the actual hell?", I pursed my lips to keep them shut. I knew better than to whine or I would earn myself another week of punishment. However, I couldn't let them take away my phone and only way of communicating with the outer world. "But, I will need my phone in case you call me. If you ever want to contact me... " I trailed off, hoping it would be a good enough excuse. "That's true." My mom spoke for the first time, gazing at my dad for confirmation that they would let me have my phone. "Alright but that's all. You can leave now." He shooed me off with his hand, signalling I was dismissed, but, when I was actually gonna leave, he wrapped me in his arms protectively. "Don't do that ever again. You had me so worried." He whispered as I hugged him back. "I'm sorry, dad. It won't happen again." I promised, kissing his cheek and proceeding to the same with my mom, who even smiled at me. Well, that wasn't as bad as I expected. Once I reached my room again, I plopped down on my bed, only then realising how exhausted I was. A yawn escaped my lips as I didn't even bother getting under the covers, too comfortable sprawled there. I don't know for how long I was asleep until I heard my phone beeping repeatedly in my pocket. When it didn't stop, I knew it wasn't a text but a call, and just answered it without bothering to look at the ID caller. "Justin?" Just by hearing the uneven breathing on the other end, I knew it was him. He sounded agitated, though, and that scared me. "Selena, get down here. Now." He demanded sternly, making me frown. "Justin, do you have any idea of what time it is?" I asked groggily, glancing at the clock on my wall to see it was more than 10 pm. Was he really there in the street? "I don't fucking care what time it is, just come down here." He replied in that same angry monotone. I had no clue why he was suddenly acting so weird, showing up at my house and then being all cold. "I'm grounded, remember?" "I'm running out of patience... " He warned. I could still sense how nervous he seemed despite how sleepy I was. "Fine, just wait a minute." I gave in, thinking it must have been something of vital importance if he was so keen on seeing me. Hanging up, I lazily walked to my rack of coats and took my hot pink anorak and slipped on my UGG boots. I was perfectly aware of the fact that my clothes didn't match but it was cold outside and I was tired. Opening my window, a gust of freezing air made me want to recoil to the comfort of my bed, but I jumped onto the fire escape anyway. I almost forgot to get my glasses but I put them on before leaving. It took me long enough to get to the street level but I could easily spot Justin's orange sports car and him leaning against it as soon as I was at his level. The impatient look on his face diminished when he saw me too and he almost smiled but it was like he was restraining himself from doing it. Frowning again, I closed the distance between us, standing a foot away from him in my everything-but-matching outfit and messed up hair. "Hey." When he didn't reply, I opened my mouth to retort. "If you're not gonna say anything, why have you made me come?" I whined, yawning again. After observing me for a moment, he finally replied. "Why didn't you tell me the truth about Jazzy and Colton?" He blurted out, no greetings. My misunderstanding was soon gone when I realised he had found out. Uh oh. "She asked me not to tell you." I replied simply, telling the pure truth. How the hell did he find out? "And why on earth did you listen to her?" He exclaimed in what seemed like frustration. "You should have told me!" "Look how you got when you found out." I pointed my hands at him. "Jazmyn didn't want you to do anything that would cause problems." "That dickhead already caused problems." He spat, folding his arms across his chest as he leaned his back on the car. I couldn't believe we were making a scene in the middle of the street. "Look, I already talked with her. These things happen and she will get over it just like everyone else does." "Because you would know, right?" He sneered. "Do I need to remind you I went through the same?" I almost shouted, feeling offended by his attitude towards me. "It wasn't the same." He muttered. "Okay, Justin, because you knew exactly how I felt. You lived it for me." I replied sarcastically, shaking my head in disbelief. "Ugh, you get me on my nerves." He groaned, fisting his hands in his hair. "Really? Do I? Then, why are you with me?" I put my hands on my hips, waiting for his answer. "Because I can't fucking stay mad at you!" He actually yelled, attracting more than a couple of gazes to us. I looked down in embarrassment, pinching the bridge of my nose with my fingers before resetting my glasses. "And why is that?" "Because, because I feel like you know me better than I know myself. Because, deep down, I know you were doing the right thing. Because you're always there for me, even when I'm a fucking asshole. Because I can't live without you, I don't know how you've done it but you've just become the only girl I've ever trusted and wanted in my life for the long run." He stopped pacing along the sidewalk and paused to look at me. My heart was swelling in my chest at the sudden turn the conversation had taken, hammering against my chest like it was gonna rip its way out of it. "Because, this afternoon in the park, I wished you had said you loved me." He paused again, making my heart stop. His eyes bored into mine and, in that moment, I forgot we were in the middle of the street, supposedly having an argument. "Because I fucking love you." Oh my... "You what?"